BURNING LOVE:：Police charged the woman with attempted murder after a witness saw her boyfriend burst into flames. The man sustained burns on 50 percent of his body

Thu, Jul 04, 2013 - Page 3

A woman in Greater Taichung allegedly doused her boyfriend with a bottle of gasoline and set him on fire because he reneged on his promise to marry her.

As of last night, Yao Yun-wen (姚允文) was still undergoing emergency treatment, having sustained third-degree burns on about 50 percent of his body.

A police report identified the alleged assailant as Chu Juo-lan (朱若蘭), 46, who works as a telemarketer at a telecommunication company.

Chu had been going out with the 55-year-old Yao since December last year.

Every few days, Chu would ride her motorcycle to visit Yao at the parking lot where he works as an attendant.

According to police, Chu drove to see Yao at work at 1am on Tuesday and demanded that he make good on his promise to marry her.

Police said she also wanted him to sign over the title deed to his apartment to her — which she said they had agreed upon previously — and also told Yao to pay a fine imposed on her after she was found guilty of fraud.

Yao refused her demands and said he had not made any such promises, according to the police report.

Chu then asked Yao for NT$100, saying she was hungry and wanted to buy something to eat, the police said. Instead, she went to a gas station to fill a water bottle with NT$18 worth of gasoline and then bought a cigarette lighter from a betel nut vendor, the police report said.

Yao was standing next to the parking lot’s tollbooth when she returned. Chu then allegedly poured the gasoline on him and lit him on fire with the lighter.

According to a taxi driver who was nearby, Yao was engulfed in a fireball and after running a short distance, he stumbled and rolled on the ground. The taxi driver rushed to smother the flames and telephoned the police.

Chu was arrested on the spot and charged with attempted murder.

When questioned, she said Yao had promised several times that he would marry her, but he kept on breaking the vow, leading her to have suicidal thoughts.